THERE'S MORE GOLF TO PLAY™
Golf, 2023 masters leaderboard, Golf hats, Golf Majors, Golf swag, The Masters
Sam Bennett, an amateur, is, as of this moment, sitting at -8 with a few holes to play, good enough for 2nd place at The Masters behind Brooks Koepka.
Where did this come from? Who is Sam Bennett? Is it possible he finishes in the Top 3? Is it possible he finishes in the Top 3 without the benefit of wearing one of our golf hats on his head? Sadly for Sam Bennett the answer is a resounding, “NO!” but good luck, Sam.
Golf, The Masters, 2023 masters leaderboard, golf hats
Jon Rahm would not typically be considered an underdog, but when you four (4) putt the first fole and spot the field two (2) strokes, you become an underdog, if only temporarily. What he did next is pretty remarkable.
Seven (7) birdies and an eagle over the final 17 holes is a hell of a turnaround. It’s sick, really.
Well done, Jon. To acknowledge the great turnaround, we’re sending you a dozen of our award-winning golf hats. Maybe you pop one on tomorrow and shoot a 63?
Hat tip to Viktor Hovland, as well, how scrambled to par 18 and hold on to a share of the lead.
Six months ago Will Zalatoris was teeing off in the WinCo Foods Open, a Korn Ferry tour event in Portland. Today he is 1 shot off the lead at the Masters, with a very real chance to win in his first attempt - something that has only happened once in the past 90 years.
Zalatoris has five Top 10 finishes so in his last 15 events so it’s getting hard to think of him as an underdog for much longer. He’s top 20 on tour in driving distance and greens-in-regulation, so he’s destined to win, and win frequently.
Justin Rose is no stranger to the Masters, nor to golf majors. At 42 years old he’s played in over 50 golf major events. But at his age winning gets harder and harder. Throw in a balky back and Rose now qualifies as an official golf underdog.
We’ll be rooting for both of these guys this weekend. They’d likely be in an even stronger position if they were wearing our golf hats, but that’s their choice.
We did enjoy watching Billy Horschel fall on his ass while playing the 13th hole with Phil Mickelson. There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as watching someone who struggles to control their temper, slip and fall, mainly because you never know what they will do in response. Unfortunately for the viewing audience we were not treated with a classic Horschel meltdown.
Golf, Golf hats, Golf swag, Golf Majors
There are lots of story lines we could write about the 2020 Masters. Abraham Ancer contending in his first appearance, former Buddist monk, Jazz Janewattananond, nearly posting the the same score as the current PGA Championship and U.S. Open winners, or Jason Day and Matthew Wolff being outplayed by Larry Mize, who is close to qualifying for Medicare. However, the most interesting development has to be 63 year-old Bernhard Langer making the cut. A remarkable achievement for a player who continues to have a remarkable career.
Also remarkable is Bryson DeChambeau’s penchant for challenging official rulings that go against him. Yesterday, when he could not find his ball after a wayward tee shot, he wanted us to believe he should get a free drop, rather than take a penalty. At the St. Jude invitational, he debated with rules officials for three minutes that he ought to get a free drop because the grass was “swarming” with fire ants (it was not). And at the Memorial, DeChambeau famously protested when not one, but two, rules officials sided against him and his claim that his wayward shot over a fence should be considered in play and qualify for a free drop (he went on to card a 10 on that hole). It’s hard to imagine Bernhard Langer, Mize, Ancer, or most tour players whining like this with such regularity. He could, of course, stop this act and instead wear one of our signature hats, which many people say delivers an immediate, calming effect on their psyche. Keep it together, Bryson.